Review: Twilight, vol. 2

If you listen to the talk amongst YA librarians, they’ll tell you that the Twilight phenomenon has passed. It makes one wonder how well the second volume of the Twilight graphic novel will do. But there is still a pocket of teens and preteens who are interested in the series. In fact, last month, Breaking Dawn made it to the top ten circulating titles in my middle school library, and I still have quite a few holds on volume 2 of the Twilight graphic novel. So I might not be stocking multiple volumes anymore, but it’s probably still worth picking up this volume.

I was re-reading my review of volume 1 and studying the publication date and was a little taken aback at how much time had passed between volume 1 and volume 2. I wasn’t surprised, because original comics do take a long time, but it surprises me that an interest still exists!

Volume 2 starts where volume 1 ends off. Bella and Edward are very much in love. She’s afraid to meet his family, because she fears their disapproval. Instead, she plays baseball with them and they meet up with a bunch of wandering vampires. One of the non-vegetarian vampires smells Bella and is now determined to stalk her. Fortunately, Edward’s family likes Bella and is very happy that he’s finally found love. So they help Edward protect her from James…

Like volume 1, this was a good adaptation of the novel. Kim managed to get the salient points of the novel and keep readers interested. Her artwork is what makes this stand out, though. The action is drawn well. Color is used with great effect. (Mostly, the color was used for flashbacks, when Edward shares his family’s history and how they all became vampires. It was also used at the end.)

There were a couple of standout scenes for me. The first is when Edward plays the piano for Bella. I loved how the musical notes enveloped them both, showing how the music washed over Bella. It actually made me feel like I could hear Edward playing. The second scene was the climax of the book: The scene with James and Bella in the dance studio. The action was quick, making your head spin, a bit confusing, but I was confused in the same way when I first read Twilight and I had to go back to re-read those pages.

This is a very successful adaptation—and I think my teens will be pleased I finally wrote up this review, because I’ve been hogging this copy of the comic for ages. The only question that remains in my mind is… will Yen Press bother adapting the rest of the series, or is the Twilight craze really over?

Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. Her collection is also the model for all middle school libraries in NYC. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library, and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 3 and regularly reviews for SLJ, LMC. In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.

About Good Comics For Kids

We are a group of librarians, parents, and writers--and most of us wear at least two of those hats--who started writing about kids' comics in 2008 because, well, nobody else was. We like everything from Literary Graphic Novels to blatantly commercial (but fun!) licensed properties. And we don't lump all ages together; we're smart enough to know that a three-year-old has different abilities and interests than a 13-year-old.

Our goal is to cover kids' comics (for readers from birth to age 16) with both breadth and depth, through a mix of news, reviews, interviews, and previews, and to be both accessible to casual readers and interesting enough for serious fans.